Urban Transport Issues in Cotonou: Analysis and Perspectives GOMINA MAMA Fousseni 1,a , Yang ZhongZhen 1 , AKPADO Boukon’la Ayedun Akimbi 1 , KAWIE ZOGAR John 1 . 1 College of Transportation and Management, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026, China a gominafousseni@gmail.com Keyword: urban mobility; socio-economy; public transport-paratransit-urbanization. Abstract. This paper analyzed the urban mobility and mode of transportation within Cotonou, by diagnosing the current problems of transport through the role of each transports actors, demographic. Based on the survey which highlights the characteristics '' household-mobility’’ in Cotonou, this research revealed, on one hand, the large gap between the transport infrastructures and the transport demand, and in the other hand, the exceptional case of mobility in this metropolitan area, where the motorcycles largely dominate the other mode of transport in the city, including public buses which implementation has failed. In the end, some recommendations have been made and proposals formulated in aim to respond efficiently to the urban transport problem in Cotonou. Introduction At the beginning of the third millennium, humanity is faced not only with problems resulting from population growth but especially the consequences of the urban explosion. Globally, over the decays, there have been rapid population increases in cities particularly in developing countries. They are subject to demographic pressure resulting from high birth rate and the rural exodus, consequence of the unequal distribution of wealth. Like most countries in the sub region, Benin has experienced during the last thirty years, an intense urbanization resulting in a gradual concentration of the population in the three main cities: Cotonou, Porto-Novo, and Parakou. During the 1960s, there were only about 200,000 citizens living in those cities. These cities now employ more 1.5 million people or nearly 60% of the national urban population and nearly 25% of the national population (TRANSITEC - AUXI-BTP). Cotonou and its agglomeration have more than two million inhabitants according to National Institute of Statistics and Economic (INSAE). However, at the forefront of these problems caused by urbanization, is the issue of urban mobility. Nowadays, the problem of mobility has become more complex which is due to the size of the settlements and their rapid growth, due to the disparity low resources availability. Cotonou, major city of Benin Republic, concentrates more than 10% of the national population, and does not escape the demographic change which characterizes the big cities in Africa. Municipality with a special status and neuralgic center with multiple functions (administrative, industrial, ports, airport, diplomatic etc...), the city of Cotonou is the economic capital. While its small area of 79km2 remains unchanged, the population of Cotonou has increased from 80,000 inhabitants in 1960, to over a million inhabitants, nowadays. This exceptional density due to its attractiveness, leads unavoidably the problems of urban mobility. The main objective of this paper is, to analyze the urban mobility issues and mode of transportation within Cotonou, by diagnosing the current problems of transportation and the perspectives. Advanced Materials Research Vols. 850-851 (2014) pp 1118-1122 Online available since 2013/Dec/13 at www.scientific.net © (2014) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.850-851.1118 All rights reserved. No part of contents of this paper may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of TTP, www.ttp.net. (ID: 31.34.191.135-13/11/14,13:53:32)